Street-car heater



Patented Apr. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,490,242 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK THORNTON, JR., OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO VVESTINGHOUSE ELEC- TRIO PRODUCTS COMPANY, A CORPORATION F MICHIGAN.

e STREET-CAR HEATER.

Appucation filed July 22,

To all 107mm t 722-614/ concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK THORNTON, J r., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street-Car Heaters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to electric heating devices and particularly to electric streetcar heaters, and it has for its object to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive, easily assembled and easily removable street-car heater.

In practicing my invention, I provide a tubular metal member extending along substantially the entire length of the street car and located at the side thereof, and place therein a plurality of pairs of co-oplerating resistor-supporting members upon w ich the metallic resistor is wound. A suitable closure and terminal box is provided at one end of the tubular member and a suitable cap is provided at the other end of the tubular member.

In the single sheet of drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the interior of a street car in which is located a plurality of the devices embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, in end elevation, of the street car illustrating the provision for removing the heating element;

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in longitudinal section and partly in end elevation, of the heating element con'iprising the device embodying my invention, and

Fig. 4 is a view, in lateral. section, on the line .IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Aheating element, designated generally by the numeral 5, comprises an elongated tubular metal member 6, the length of which is substantially the same as the length of the street car 7 with which it is to be associated. A heating element is located at each side of the street car and may be held in place by suitable supporting members 8, secured to the inside walls of the car, the design of the members 8 being such as to permit of the easy and quick removal ofthe complete heater element longitudinally of the car through an opening provided in the outer front and rear walls thereof. A suitable cover member 9 may be placed over the opening during the ordinary7 operation of the car. While I have illustrated a car having seats extending crosswise of the car, it is to be under- 1921. Serial N0. 486,665.

stood that all of the control devices illustrated in Fig. 1, as well as the seat arrangements, are intended to illustrate any operative street. car equipped with my heater.

The construction of the heater element 5 is illustrated more particularly in Figs. 3 and 4. A plurality of pairs of oo-operating refractory electric-insulating resistor-supporting members 10 are located in vthe tubular member 6 and comprise, in general, an elongated body portion 11 substantially oval in lateral cross-section, provided rwithan enlarged khead 12 at each end, substantially semi-circular in lateral section. The pairs of members 10 are placed together, -with the flat portions of the respective heads engaging each other, the heads thus forming a substantially circular portion which is slightly less in diameter than the interior diameter ot the tubular member The adjacent pairsfof members 10 engage each other only at the outer ends thereof.

A resistor member 13 is wound over the elongated body portion 11 of each of the members 10, and the respective resistors 13 may be suitably connected together in seriescircuit relation so that only two ends need be brought out to a terminal box 14 which is provided at one end of the tubular member 6. The box 111 comprises an open-end casing of insulating material in which are located two contact terminals 15 to which the ends of the resistor members 13 are suitably connected. A cover member 16 is provided and suitably secured to the casing 14 in any approved manner. An enlarged head 17 may be secured to one end of the tubular member 6 to provide a seat against which the terminal box 14 may be secured by means of a plurality of screws 18. The other end ot the tubular member 6 may be closed by a cap 19 screwed thereon.

It may be noted that the device embodying my invention provides a relatively simple, inexpensive and easily removable heating element which may be made in any suitable length to agree with the length of the enclosed portion of the street car in which it is to be located. By providing suitable supporting members on the walls of the car, and by providing openings at the front and rear of the car, the assembled heating elements may be easily and quickly removed and reinserted. f

As various modifications may be made in the device embodying myinvention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, I desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed bj. the prior art or are specifically set orth'in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention l. An electric street-car heater comprising a tubular member extending over substantially the length of the car and removable longitudinally therefrom, a plurality of pairs ot' elongated refractory resistor-supporting members having enlarged integral heads for maintaining them in operative po-y sition laterally ot said tubular member, and a resistor located on said elongated supporting members.

2. An electric street-car heater comprising a tubular member extending over substantially the length of the car and removable longitudinally therefrom, ay pluralityof pairs of co-operating refractory resistorsupporting members, each having an en larged integral head of substantially semicircular form adapted to maintain said pairs of members in operative positions laterally in said tubular member and a single resistor located in said elongated supporting members.

3, An electric street-car heater comprising a tubular metal heat-radiating member extending over substantially the entire length of the car and removable longitudinally therefrom, a plurality of pairs of refractory members in said tubular member, the adjacent pairs 4of members having longitudinal operative engagement with each other, a reT sistor member wound in said refractory members, an enclosing cap at one end of said tubular member and a combined terminal box and closure for the other end ot' said tubular member.

I n testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this eleventh da)v of July, 1921.

FRANK THORNTON, Jn. 

